Oregon State Offers Players MMR Booster Shots Ahead of Mumps-Hit San Diego State Visit, Line Holds Near 14

Oregon State is offering MMR booster vaccinations to its players this week as the Beavers prepare to host a San Diego State team that has been battling a mumps outbreak inside its football program since mid-September. Head coach JaMarcus Shephard confirmed the precaution Monday, days before the Beavers and Aztecs meet Saturday at 3 p.m. in Corvallis.

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the outbreak within the SDSU football program last month, and the case count has continued to climb since. San Diego State’s student health services page listed 14 confirmed cases, plus one probable case, as of September 30 within a single athletic team later confirmed to be football. The Aztecs have leaned on local and state public health officials to manage contact tracing, screenings and vaccination clinics as the virus has spread through the roster.

SDSU’s Roster Already Feeling the Impact

The toll on San Diego State’s depth chart was obvious heading into last week’s game against Texas State. The Aztecs listed 32 players on their availability report, with 13 ruled out entirely and another 14 tagged as game-time decisions — accounting for a significant chunk of the two-deep. Among those sidelined were both starting tight ends, Jackson Ford and Ryan Wolfer, and starting center Isaac Lucas. Starting running back Lucky Sutton, one of the Pac-12’s top returning backs after rushing for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025, has also missed time and is down to just 45 carries for 150 yards through five games this season.

Despite the depleted roster, San Diego State rallied from a sluggish start to beat Texas State 31-29, improving to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in Pac-12 play. Oregon State enters Saturday off a 56-26 win over Colorado State and sits at 3-2 overall, also 1-0 in conference, in Shephard’s first season leading the program.

Shephard Says Oregon State Is Taking Its Own Precautions

Speaking to reporters Monday, Shephard said the Beavers had not been in direct contact with San Diego State or the Pac-12 conference office about the outbreak, and that Oregon State is instead acting on its own initiative. “We are just taking our own precautions at this point in time,” Shephard said. “We’re making available for our guys to get a booster shot related to the mumps. Most of us have actually had that shot — in order to go to school you pretty much had to have that shot early on… This is just an opportunity for us to get a booster on that and make sure we keep our team safe.” Shephard compared the approach to how programs handled COVID-19 protocols, adding that player safety “is the No. 1 priority of football organizations, or at least it should be.”

A Pac-12 spokesperson told reporters the conference and its member schools “work collectively, as appropriate, regarding matters of student-athlete health,” while noting that federal privacy laws prevent the disclosure of information that could identify individual students. San Diego State has not detailed how many players might miss Saturday’s game, and head coach Sean Lewis declined to elaborate on the situation both before last week’s game and again on Monday.

What the Line Movement Says About Bettor Confidence

Oregon State opened as a 14-point favorite for Saturday’s matchup, and the market has largely held firm around that number even with the uncertainty hanging over San Diego State’s health situation. Spreads have fluctuated in a tight band between roughly 13.5 and 14.5 points depending on the book, with the total sitting in the mid-to-high 50s. The moneyline has Oregon State as a heavy favorite, reflecting both the Beavers’ recent form and the compounding effect of SDSU’s absences at key positions like running back, center and tight end.

For bettors, the situation adds a layer of uncertainty beyond the usual injury report. A full availability report won’t surface until closer to kickoff, and any late scratches at skill positions or along the offensive line could nudge the number further before the game starts. San Diego State already proved capable of grinding out a win last week despite missing over a dozen contributors, which keeps the total from ballooning the way it might against a fully compromised roster. Still, with Oregon State’s offense clicking after hanging 56 on Colorado State, and SDSU facing what Shephard and others have described as unresolved questions about exactly how many players will be cleared to suit up, the market appears to be pricing in real risk that the Aztecs could again be shorthanded in a hostile road environment.